Columbia lost.

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McFortner

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In case you have not heard the news this morning, the Shuttle Columbia was lost on reentry over the Dalas, Texas area this morning.

My prayers go to the family and friends of the astronauts lost.

Michael
 
Apparently the world has lost another 7 of its best & brightest...a sad day indeed...
 
What an awful thing to wake up to this morning. Instead of spending some time in my railroad room, I found myself glued to MSNBC.
Another National tragedy to deal with:(

Matt--Hershey, Pa.
 
Terrible day.....

It's a terrible say for the US Space Program. However, with this accident maybe Congress will give NASA more money to build a new fleet of shuttles. They are almost as old than I am! Space IS the final frontier for mankind. God bless the astronaughts families.

Andy
 

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I feel that there are few heroes left in the world, but
Astronauts surely are, This is a sad loss for the whole
world, thier courage extends beyond any national, political
or religious boundaries and they exemplify the pinacle of
the human spirit. They will always be remembered.


Graham :(
 
Originally posted by grumbeast
I feel that there are few heroes left in the world, but
Astronauts surely are, This is a sad loss for the whole
world, thier courage extends beyond any national, political
or religious boundaries and they exemplify the pinacle of
the human spirit. They will always be remembered.


Graham :(
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of their families and to the people of NASA who once again have to cope with the day's events and then find an answer.
 
I feel that there are few heroes left in the world, but
Astronauts surely are, This is a sad loss for the whole
world, thier courage extends beyond any national, political
or religious boundaries and they exemplify the pinacle of
the human spirit. They will always be remembered.


Graham :(

Very well said Graham, We also wish to extend our thoughts, prayers and condolances to the people of the United States of America and Israel as well as to the families of the 7 astronauts onboard.
May God be with you all.
 
My heartfelt sympathies are with the families and loved ones of the astronauts, and with the American people, whose dreams seem to be beset with difficulties on all sides these days.
But remember that hardship and pain, even loss of life in the pursuit of such a dream is never a waste.

Val
 
Never have I felt worse than hearing of the 7 astronauts onboard the shuttle Columbia lose their lives. It reminds me of watching the Challenger when it was lost after takeoff on live TV. I hope NASA will learn from this mistake and I hope the families know that their loved ones wasn't to far from God.

My sympathies go to those families who have lost loved ones.
 
Yes. Such a terrible tragedy for those that knew the risks that they took in their lives. Those that did what they desired, knowing the risks they they were taking. A terrible tragedy.

May our thoughts also go to the 8 dead in the rail disaster in Sydney yesterday. Just ordinary people going about their daily lives, just like you and me, assuming the risks of living coulod not possibly entail death on their way to work, or just commuting to do some shopping. (hear of that?? Probably not.)

May our thoughts also go to the 20 dead in a blast that ripped their homes apart in Lagos today.(Nigeria.... heard of that??? Probably not.)

Or the 42 dead in a head on train collision in Zimbabwe today as well. Just ordinary people, going about, what they thought to be a very low risk life. (and heard of that?? Probably not.)

Yes. a tragedy, but a world does exist outside of the US you know.
 
Originally posted by Woodie
Yes. Such a terrible tragedy for those that knew the risks that they took in their lives. Those that did what they desired, knowing the risks they they were taking. A terrible tragedy.

May our thoughts also go to the 8 dead in the rail disaster in Sydney yesterday. Just ordinary people going about their daily lives, just like you and me, assuming the risks of living coulod not possibly entail death on their way to work, or just commuting to do some shopping. (hear of that?? Probably not.)

May our thoughts also go to the 20 dead in a blast that ripped their homes apart in Lagos today.(Nigeria.... heard of that??? Probably not.)

Or the 42 dead in a head on train collision in Zimbabwe today as well. Just ordinary people, going about, what they thought to be a very low risk life. (and that?? Probably not.)

Yes. a tragedy, but a world does exist outside of the US you know.
Click to expand...

Awww Woodie.................. Our hearts & prayers go to all those tragities also.

I heard of all 3 of them on "in between cuts" to the Shuttle reports. It's just they are a lower profile to our Always overzealous & a lot of times wrong & repetitive, news services. All 467 of them. At least sometimes it seems there are that many. :( Striving to be the best of the bunch - no matter how immature the reporting, just to get an exclusive.

And every one of the 8 of them (really just 8???) all are reporting the exact same thing at mostly the same times and making the same speculations / assumptions & driving us all nuts.

I stick with one channel - unless I get a phone call to change channel 'cause there's something actually accurate on somewhere else.

Anyway - to get back "on Track" yes ABC news did in fact report these trageties. I heard about all 4 of them! :( :(

Not too good a day in this world eh???

P.S. Have YOU heard that there actually really seriously, stupid people out there that are actually "collecting souvineers" of the crash? The Government has issued the following statements:

-- Do NOT touch any parts of the remains - they could be caustic & radioactive
-- This a federal investigation - you could be charged with a federal offence if you take anything
-- Anyone selling parts of the shuttle over the web will be prosecuted! ( e-Bay???)

So, of course I wake up Sunday Morning & guess what - Austions on e-Bay - and there are reports of 3 pieces missing that were found yesterday & left where they were found for further investigation. -- Is This stupid or what???

Also, there were reports last night that people were reporting to a local hospital sick - from the caustic propellants used in the shuttle...
 
It was with great sadness I awakened to the true realization of what had happened on Saturday morning. Having spent a couple of summers just up the road from Johnson Space Center in a suburb of Houston, knowing a couple of people from the center, and as a part-time futurist who has always been intrigued and captivated by space and space travel, the news hit me especially hard. My condolences to particularly the families, but also the entire NASA team, who will no doubt be spending many sleepless nights over the next few months trying to figure out what went wrong.

I think it's important to reflect at this time, and I hope for the sake of our society that we do not let this dampen our enthusiasm for space. I'm frankly a little concerned that this could set NASA and the space program back another five years, as the Challenger disaster seemingly did in 1987. Like any new frontier, the exploration of space is fraught with danger and untold perils, but also great rewards. Space exploration and related endeavors have resulted in innumerable extraordinary inventions that have become such a part of society we now take them for granted.

We must try to minimize the danger, but *NEVER* forget how important it is to reach for the stars, sometimes seemingly beyond our capability. It was Lyndon Johnson who decided we needed to send a man to the moon, and with his will and the will of many others, it happened. In 113 Shuttle missions, only 2 have resulted in, albeit, devastating and catastrophic failure. That's still well over a 98% success ratio - far greater I'm sure than the days of Columbus, Cabot, et al, who, like today's space explorers, faced great danger and peril in exploring the world's oceans, but also realized the extraordinary rewards that more than made up for the risks they took. Without them and their brethren, this continent would still be sparsely inhabited at best - space exploration will likewise continue to lead to amazing discoveries the likes of which we have never seen.

The astronauts of today, like the mighty seamen of yesterday, are true heros. They understand the risks of space travel, and accept them, because they realize the tremendous benefits of going into space and braving new frontiers. It is imperative that society continue projects such as the international space station, the Hubble telescope, and our eventual goal of propeling men/women to Mars and beyond.
 
Woodie, not that I'm going to defend the US media, because yes, they are totally US-centric, and more than a little annoying at times (really, nothing much changed from 9am yesterday until we went to bed).

But, it was still US news, and means more to people than news from outside America. I'm sure your local television station focused on local events, as ours do - no different, it's just on a bigger scale, and because US television is beamed around the world, it makes it seem bigger than it is.

It was also big and spectacular, which people by their nature love. I know there was a couple of shootings in our city, and I'm sure a lot of accidents (and non-accidents) claimed a lot of people's lives across North America yesterday, but because it's fairly common now, it's no longer big news. Whereas something this spectacular is always big news, and big ratings. And really, when it comes down to it, the American channels are *not* about reporting news, they're about ratings. Plain and simple.
 
I do understand the significance of such a disaster for it's scientific and technological impact and for it's political and strategic importance.


However, this drole and national tears of egocentric concern just baffles me.

The world is expected to go along with, and partake in US centric events that "touch the heart of your great nation". I do not see this attitude reciprocated.

Not only the previous things I mentioned, but I might put in a reminder that more than 700 Australian families now have no home to go to as a result of the fires this week. And might I ask Pennrail to not only remember victims of September 11 2001, but also to remember victims of October 12 2002. Dunno what that's about? I suggest you find out.

Anyway, these are just an example of what precipitates the anti-American sentiment that is quite prevalent around the world at the moment.

My post is not to have a go at anyone or anything, but just to highlight a few points. To lighten it up a bit, may I point you to click here for a bit of a satirical giggle about it all. :)
 
You're right on, Woodie.

I'm sure you know it, but I will still mention that neither the media, nor the politicians, necessarily reflect the true feelings of a majority of Americans.

We are as human --- and as provincial --- as most of the world's population. But most of us (hopefully) know better than to believe we --- and our actions --- are any more important than others.

The word "hero" is so often misused. Anyone who undertakes a dangerous task has presumably realized and accepted the risks involved. Such a person who dies at the task is obviously no more a hero than one who did it and survived, sad though the loss of life might be.

And "hero" seems only to be applied to those who die in media-spectacular incidents. Private Joe Shlunk who gets run over by a jeep will never be called a hero --- nor will a greatful nation bestow riches and media attention on his family.

Bill S
 
I'm very sad about this news. :(
My feelings are now with their families and friends.
I only hope that this won't stop the efforts to bring the mankind to the space. It's a big loss and a sad day, but now we have seven new bright stars in the sky...
 
One of the things that really struck me was a comment from one of the news anchors. He asked, and I paraphrase, "If most people were asked on January 31 how many astronauts were in space at that time or if there even was a shuttle mission in orbit, how many could have answered accurately." The point being that shuttle missions have become much blase' to the general public any more. We have come to expect them to run as reliably as the family car. Truth be known if they broke down as often as the family car does even more brave souls would be dead. People forget how much danger is involved with these endevors. It is only when something this tragic happens that people decide to have an opinion on the subject. My only hope is that the politicians don't use this as an excuse to cut funding even more.

While the majority of astronauts were American, the space program is a truely international endeavor and holds not just the future of one nation, but the future of the entire human race.

God bless the souls of all those who would press these boundaries.
 
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